Shi Wan's eyes were red-rimmed, she bit her lip tightly, and her hands were clenched into fists, slowly tightening as if she was suppressing some kind of emotion.
Finally, Shi Wan appeared silently and left silently.
She was used to being strong and never cried or made a fuss. Even when she was desperate and helpless, she remained calm and didn't let anyone notice her vulnerability.
Shi Wan doesn't remember how she walked out of the Sikong Group building. She only felt a blank in her mind, facing the future with a great deal of uncertainty.
That night, Shi Yan did not return to his rented room.
He also did not answer his family's calls.
She switched to airplane mode and wandered around alone, as if she wouldn't be abandoned by the Shi family as long as she didn't answer the phone.
Drifting aimlessly, without purpose.
It's getting late, and I don't know what to do.
No matter how late it is or how much you don't want to face it, it's still beyond your control.
The sky eventually brightened.
No matter how much she dared not face it, Shi Wan had to go back, to face the judgment of her family...
After turning off airplane mode, the phone began to regain connectivity. Later that evening, the phone was filled with red missed calls.
There are Qin Qiaolian's, sometimes Jianhua's, sometimes Yu's, there's Mao Xiaomin's, there's Sikong Jingyu's, and there's even Grandma Sikong's...
Those who were going to call, have already called.
The phone rang again that evening; another call had come in.
It belongs to Qin Qiaolian.
Looking at her phone screen, Shi Wan blinked slowly.
Finally, Shi Wan slowly pressed the answer button, her tone relatively calm: "Hello?"
"...Wanwan...why didn't you come home last night? We couldn't get through to you on the phone, and your colleagues at the department said you weren't there. We were so worried!"
Shi Wan didn't speak, so her mother tentatively called out, "...Wanwan?"
"Hmm..." Shi Wan responded softly.
Hearing Shi Wan's response, Shi's mother breathed a sigh of relief and tentatively said, "Let's go home, Mom is waiting for you."
These seven words once made Shi Wan feel incredibly happy!
Shi Wan always believed that the happiest thing in life is not how high an official position you hold, how much money you make, or how successful you are!
The happiest thing in life is going home... and having someone waiting for you.
Shi Wan's tears instantly burst forth.
But will he still be able to go back to that home when it gets late?
Then Shi's mother's voice came again, in a coaxing tone: "Wanwan, let's go home first, okay? Mom made your favorite tomato beef brisket!"
We always have to face it.
What needs to be made clear still needs to be made clear.
You can hide for a while, but you can't hide forever.
Running away... won't solve the problem.
Shi Wan wiped away her tears, her voice hoarse, and softly replied, "Okay..."
As she approached the door of her rented room, Shi Wan began to feel afraid, afraid of everything that was about to happen.
Finally, Shi Wan took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the rented room.
Contrary to her expectations, only Qin Qiaolian was home.
Qin Qiaolian was already waiting at the door. When she saw Shi Wan return, she was so excited that tears welled up in her eyes.
Looking into her mother's eager gaze, Shi Wan opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a word; the words stuck in her throat: "..."
Shi Wan didn't know whether she should call her "Mom" or "Auntie" now.
Qin Qiaolian hugged Shi Wan tightly, her voice choked with emotion: "You child, how could you disappear? Do you think I'm not old enough, that I won't worry myself to death?"
Shi Wan wanted to hug Qin Qiaolian back, but she didn't dare. Her hands hung limply at her sides, and she let the tears flow freely in her eyes.
She pressed her lips tightly together, trying hard not to let the tears fall.
"Don't do that again! I can't handle being scared like that a second time."
Will there be a next time?
Isn't this the final farewell...?
"Wanwan, why aren't you saying anything? Don't scare Mom!"
Each word of reproach contained deep worry and heartache.
Qin Qiaolian released Shi Wan and watched as Shi Wan struggled to hold back her tears, remaining unmoved. Qin Qiaolian felt a chill run down her spine.
After leaving the Sikong Group, Shi Yu told Qin Qiaolian that he had called Shi Wan over, but Shi Wan never showed up, and afterwards, no one could contact her!
Qin Qiaolian knew that Shi Wan's disappearance and lack of contact last night must be because she overheard her conversation with Xiao Jing!
Shi Wan's silence at this moment further confirmed Qin Qiaolian's suspicions.
Qin Qiaolian sighed and asked weakly, "Wanwan, did you refuse to acknowledge us after you heard me say yesterday that you weren't my biological child?"
Upon hearing Qin Qiaolian's words, Shi Wan suddenly raised her head. Qin Qiaolian meant that even though she was divorced from Sikong Jingyu now, and even though she wasn't his biological daughter, Qin Qiaolian would still acknowledge her.
"Wanwan, although you are not my biological child, I raised you. Does that mean that apart from blood ties, there is no affection between us?"
Shi Wan looked at Qin Qiaolian with a guilty gaze and whispered, "...Mom, I'm sorry, I thought...after the divorce, you wouldn't acknowledge me anymore."
Upon hearing this, Qin Qiaolian smiled bitterly, wiped away Shi Wan's tears, and said earnestly, "How could you think like that? The debt of giving birth is great, but the debt of raising is not necessarily small. Silly girl, from the day I brought you home, I raised you as my own daughter. Of course, I hope that you and Xiao Jing can live a long and happy life together. If not, you are still my daughter. No matter what the future holds, you will always be our family's treasure! Don't you have any faith in us?"
Shi Wan felt a pang of sadness, her nose stung, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
She thought she would have no family left.
Qin Qiaolian touched Shi Wan's face tenderly, half-hugging her to comfort her, "My Wanwan has grown up, but she's still a child."
Shi Wan has grown up and become more composed, but when facing Qin Qiaolian, she will always be a child who never grows up. Because with Qin Qiaolian, Shi Wan can have her own little quirks. She doesn't have to pretend to be an adult or mature.
With her guard down and her pretense gone, Shi Wan, overwhelmed by the relief of having regained what she had lost, nestled in Qin Qiaolian's arms like a child, freely venting her grief.
It is said that there are two great fortunes in life: recovering from a long illness and regaining what was lost. Even though Shiwan was abandoned by Grandma Sikong right after she was born, she was still lucky because Shiwan had a home.
Qin Qiaolian gently patted Shi Wan's back to comfort her, "Don't cry, you're about to become a mother."
Shi Wan paused in Qin Qiaolian's arms, but Shi Wan had no intention of keeping the child!
Shi Wan composed herself, gently stepped out of Qin Qiaolian's embrace, looked into Qin Qiaolian's eyes, and said honestly, "Mom... I..."
Seeing that Shi Wan seemed about to speak but hesitated, Qin Qiaolian actually knew what Shi Wan wanted to say.
"Mom knows what you're trying to say."
Qin Qiaolian looked at Shi Wan with kind and gentle eyes: "Knowing that you are going to have surgery today, I thought you had some kind of illness when I came here. Fortunately, it's just pregnancy, which is a blessing in disguise. I know you don't want children because you're afraid of being involved with Xiao Jing in the future. But even without children, you and Xiao Jing have had an inextricable connection since you swapped lives. I still have to advise you that kind of surgery is very harmful to your health. Your body is already weak. Besides, the child is innocent."
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